A River Into Darkness - GM Justaworm (Inactive)

Game Master justaworm

Ship Battle Map Link

This the right link for the battle map. You should see a blue background.

working on post throughout the day, but looks like there will be significant downtime at Paizo today.

Selena, the map is to scale (well, as close as I can get it).
Shwarto, how did you get an extra d6 with snowball instead of 4d6? If a mistake, we'll drop the last 6 from dmg

----
Shwarto stays very low to the deck and stealthily moves up to the rail. (acrobatics passed, don't forget to roll). He then conjures and hurls a snowball at the closest adaro to starboard, hitting it square in its shark head. (26 dmg, passes save)
Selena , fighting through her nasuea, begins playing a battle hymn to aid her allies.
Inspire Courage: +1 attack and damage
Stígandrr moves to the topdeck and yanks the spear out of Danner, asking if there are any other ranged weapons around. Danner offers up his cross bow to the big man (and Stig is already holding an unbroken spear).

The Crew:
Danner offers his light crossbow over to Stig and attempts to bandage his wounds.
Mannie loads and fires his crossbow but misses the adaro again.
Speraggo fires his crossbow but also misses the adaro.
Faruq grunts to Stig,"that spear and crossbow seem to be it for the moment. you didn't bring a ranged weapon on a boat?", and and shoots his longbow through the netting at the creature, missing it again.

Adaro:
As the boat keeps moving, all of the adaro's positions have shifted 10ft naturally.
The adaro move into new positions unleash another volley of spears.
The first spear (Adaro 1, top left) flies at Shakaro but it bounces at a bad angle and harmlessly off his newly hardened skin.
The second spear misses the injured Mannie.
The final spear heads for Shwarto but misses the wizard.

Combat Conditions:

• Any round you move on the bottom deck, make an Acrobatics or Prof. Sailor DC 5 check to avoid slipping. If you fail, you fall prone. There is no check to stand back up.
  
• Generally, the low rails provide partial cover on the lower deck. Full cover is provided at the Foredeck. The topdeck cover bonus will be a judgment call by me.
  
• No perception checks are needed at the moment to spot them as others can point them out. They are tricky to see in the waves though.
  
• Fort Save, DC 15 (poison) if you get hit by a weapon.
  

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Round 02
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Selena (26/26) - Inspired, Sickened
Shwarto (26/26) - Inspired,
Stígandrr (38/38) - Inspired, Sickened, Total Def (Rnd 1), +1 Fort (Rnd 1)
Crew (S:0 / M:10 / D:5) - Inspired,
Faruq (0) - Inspired,
---
Baddies
---
Twikli (13/13) - Inspired,
Waseem (33/33) - Inspired, Sickened
Jaqu (30/30) - Inspired,
Shakaro Jun (35/35) - Inspired,

---------------

The Waseem, Jaqu, Shakaro, and Twikli group is up.

Uh, cheating? :-). I think I just assumed the sneak attack would work and rolled the 5 dice. Then rolled the sneak attack dice again. So I ACTUALLY did 19

Twikli just hides in the cabin, using harsh language

In general, no need to put him into initiative

"you didn't bring a ranged weapon on a boat?"

Selena's face reflects her guilty, panicked realization of her oversight and forgetfulness. Although considering they were in the middle of combat and it was doubtful anyone saw it, she struggled to hide her expression behind the pipe. Oops... darts are ranged, though... It's fine. Fine. Yes, everything is good here... This is why I stick to music!

Waseem will cast mage armor on Jaqu (ac22) who will scramble across the deck, dive overboard and attack the nearest Adar (I don’t imagine he can get a charge from where he is).
acrobatics: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7
bite: 1d20 + 6 + 1 - 1 ⇒ (6) + 6 + 1 - 1 = 12 (inspire courage, power attack)
damage: 1d6 + 3 + 1 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 3 + 1 + 2 = 7

Now there are some truly uninspiring rolls

Shakaro picks up the spear.

"Hey, thanks! Is this for me? Or do you want it back? Well, in that case... HERE!" he shouts as he hurls the spear.

Thrown Spear +1 Inspire: 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (20) + 5 = 25
Thrown Spear Damage +1 Inspire: 1d8 + 6 + 1 ⇒ (7) + 6 + 1 = 14

Crit?: 1d20 + 5 + 1 ⇒ (10) + 5 + 1 = 16
Bonus Crit Damage: 2d8 + 12 + 2 ⇒ (6, 2) + 12 + 2 = 22

Here's hoping that confirms!

I recolored the adaros' backgrounds, hopefully making it easier to call out which one we are referring to.
Shwarto, heh no worries. I updated to 19 dmg. I was kind of hoping it was 5d6 so I could do whatever it was for my wizard. :)
Waseem, Jaqu still had to move out of the cabin first so no charge unless you wait until next round. I would be possible if he were already on deck.

----
Waseem casts mage armor on Jaqu just before the eidolon jumps overboard and attacks the nearest adaro. Perhaps not quite used to swimming and fighting yet, Jaqu's bite misses the adaro.
Shakaro Jun picks up one of the adaro spears and hurls it back at the creature. The spear flies true in the storm and lodges itself into the adaro's torso, critically injuring it. (36 dmg)
The adaro (green) is still up, but looks pretty rough.

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Round 03
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Selena (26/26) - Inspired, Sickened
Shwarto (26/26) - Inspired,
Stígandrr (38/38) - Inspired, Sickened, +1 Fort (Rnd 2)
Crew (S:0 / M:10 / D:5) - Inspired,
Faruq (0) - Inspired,
---
Baddies
---
Twikli (13/13) - Inspired,
Waseem (33/33) - Inspired, Sickened
Jaqu (30/30) - Inspired,
Shakaro Jun (35/35) - Inspired,

----------- Round 3 ---------------

First group is up.

I'll move my token when I get to my computer (on my phone currently).
Selena steps outside and attempts to Daze the shark person by itself while continuing her courageous music.
yellow/orange guy, Will save, DC 14
Acrobatics: 1d20 + 7 - 2 ⇒ (1) + 7 - 2 = 6
That's a good place to have a nat 1; I'll take it.
Perform (wind): 1d20 + 8 - 2 ⇒ (1) + 8 - 2 = 7
... seriously?
Selena's piece stutters as she focuses on maintaining her footing as she sets foot on the slippery deck and again when she concentrates on her spell.
Maybe I should have brought a bow... can't do music either!

Shwarto sneaks over to what he hopes will give him cover (the map looks like I can fit and find cover, being small and all :-))

stealth: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (18) + 15 = 33

He then shoots an acid ray at the one to the south

acid splash (touch): 1d20 + 5 ⇒ (8) + 5 = 13 (against blind flat footed so may actually hit) for

damage: 1d3 + 2d6 ⇒ (2) + (1, 5) = 8 (includes sneak attack because I'm gonna assume a 33 was high enough :-) :-)

Shwarto, is there a reason you arent rolling acrobatics when moving? I am just making sure you aren't autopassing for some reason.

----
Selena , steps out on deck and immediately falls on the slippery deck. She hits a few wildly out of tune notes but still maintains her battle hymn to aid her allies. From the deck, she casts Daze on the adaro to starboard (gold).
Inspire Courage: +1 attack and damage
Shwarto sneaks to the rail and casts acid splash on the adaro to starboard (gold) (8 dmg)

-----
The Crew:
-Danner stands up and heads down to the main deck and into the cabin.
-Mannie loads and fires his crossbow but misses the adaro again.
-Speraggo loads and fires his crossbow but also misses the adaro.
-Both men curse loudly at their inability to hit these creatures.
Faruq again shoots his longbow through the netting at one of the adaro (red) and hits it (11 dmg).

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Round 03a
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Selena (26/26) - Inspired, Sickened
Shwarto (26/26) - Inspired,
Stígandrr (38/38) - Inspired, Sickened, +1 Fort (Rnd 1)
Crew (S:0 / M:10 / D:5) - Inspired,
Faruq (0) - Inspired,
---
Baddies
---
Twikli (13/13) - Inspired,
Waseem (33/33) - Inspired, Sickened
Jaqu (30/30) - Inspired,
Shakaro Jun (35/35) - Inspired,

Stig is still up, I just had a chance to update and took advantage of it.

Selena , steps out on deck and immediately falls on the slippery deck. She hits a few wildly out of tune notes but still maintains her battle hymn to aid her allies. From the deck, she casts Daze on the adaro to starboard (gold).

Not that I'm against this, but isn't the Acrobatics save DC 5? I'm totally fine with this result, but thought I'd double check. Otherwise, it looks like even with a nat 1 and sickened, Selena wouldn't fail this check. I'm totally fine with the double nat 1s resulting in her slipping, for sure.

You are totally right. I don't know what I was thinking. You basically slip hard but catch yourself just before hitting the deck. You are not prone.

Shwarto, is there a reason you arent rolling acrobatics when moving? I am just making sure you aren't autopassing for some reason.

I'd thought my acrobatics was high enough that I couldn't fail a DC 5. I was wrong (I haven't put a rank in yet :-().

acro: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (12) + 3 = 15

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (2) + 2 - 2 = 2 Don't think I need this as I am not on the lower deck but rolling just in case

Stig looks from one shark man to the next as he responds to Faruq. "I prefer to punch people. I find I am much better at it than this kind of thing." His eyes focus on the closest Adaro "Hey weakling! Come over here like a real man." Trying to ignore the discomfort in his stomach he curls back his arm and chucks the spear at it. "Can you use this Selena?" He looks down at the Kayal and raises the crossbow. "I have an idea that doesn't require this." A big grin spreads across his face.
Attack w/ spear: 1d20 + 7 - 2 ⇒ (12) + 7 - 2 = 17
Damage: 1d8 + 4 ⇒ (3) + 4 = 7

Move - move to the side of the upper deck. Standard - throw spear. Swift - +1 to fort again. Free - Have a cool idea

Stígandrr hurls the adaro's spear back at it and catches it off guard. The spear digs deep into the adaro and the shark-man stops moving. (hits, 7 dmg on green, dying)

Faruq runts, "Nice throw, maybe it is your thing.".

-----
Adaro:
As the boat keeps moving, all in the water have shifted 10ft naturally.
- The adaro to starboard (gold) sees the little wayang hunched at the aft railing, swims over to the rail, and grabs Shwarto. (CMB: 24, pass - Shwarto you can take an attack of opportunity.
- The other adaro (red) charges Jaqu and tries to bite him. The eidolon is just able to move out of the way. (AC 21, miss)

Ship Battlemat

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Round 03b
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Selena (26/26) - Inspired, Sickened
Shwarto (26/26) - Inspired, *pending Grappled R3*
Stígandrr (38/38) - Inspired, Sickened, +1 Fort (Rnd 3)
Crew (S:0 / M:10 / D:5) - Inspired,
Faruq (0) - Inspired,
---
Baddies
---
Twikli (13/13) - Inspired,
Waseem (33/33) - Inspired, Sickened
Jaqu (30/30) - Inspired,
Shakaro Jun (35/35) - Inspired,

----

Waseem and Shakaro are up.
Shwarto gets an AoO, if he is interested.

I never stated that I even had my dagger drawn and, in all honesty, I probably wouldn't have. So, no AoO and I'm firmly grappled.

Fortunately for me, I DO have escape artist :-)

Escape Artist: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (17) + 10 = 27

If that is enough (I REALLY hope it is :-)) He'll 5ft step to the NE (moved on map on the assumption that a 27 is enough)

"Help. Help! Some help over here, please!"

Actually, if it is possible I would like to take an Immediate Action when Shwarto is grappled:

Shakaro shouts at Shwarto in a strange, sibilant language.

"សេរីភាព !"

Casting liberating command on Shwarto as an immediate action. Shwarto gets to make an escape artist check as an immediate action before his turn begins, with a +10 bonus on his roll. So if he succeeds he can do more than just move away - he would have his whole turn available.

If Shwarto is still grappled:

Shakaro shouts again:

"សេរីភាព !"

Liberating command again as a swift action.

Then,

Either way:

Shakaro steps between Shwarto and the Adaro. He draws his greatclub and strikes the adaro!

If Shwarto wasn't able to move away then I will just go up beside him.

Greatclub Power Attack +1 Inspired: 1d20 + 8 + 1 ⇒ (18) + 8 + 1 = 27
Damage Power Attack +1 Inspired: 1d10 + 9 + 1 ⇒ (3) + 9 + 1 = 13

"Like that, shark-man?" he shouts gleefully.

I think that we can reasonably assume that a 37 is enough for Shwarto to escape the grapple :-)

So, if allowed, Shwarto would STILL 5 ft step on his turn but would then cast thunderstomp on the nearby Adadro

Trip maneuver: 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (18) + 8 = 26. That might even work :-)

Jaqu shreds...
bite: 1d20 + 6 - 1 ⇒ (13) + 6 - 1 = 18 (powered attack)
damage: 1d6 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 3 + 2 = 7
claw: 1d20 + 6 - 1 ⇒ (10) + 6 - 1 = 15
damage: 1d6 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (6) + 3 + 2 = 11
claw: 1d20 + 6 - 1 ⇒ (20) + 6 - 1 = 25
damage: 1d6 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (2) + 3 + 2 = 7
confirm crit: 1d20 + 6 - 1 ⇒ (13) + 6 - 1 = 18
crit damage: 1d6 + 3 + 2 ⇒ (1) + 3 + 2 = 6

Waseem will cast snowball at the sharkman to starboard
ranged touch: 1d20 + 6 ⇒ (9) + 6 = 15
damage: 4d6 ⇒ (5, 1, 5, 1) = 12
”If that doesn’t work then maybe I’ll just puke on him...”

Shakaro Jun , seeing Shwarto in trouble, immediately casts Liberating Command giving the wayang another chance to escape the shark-man's grasp. Swharto is indeed able to break free after being emboldened by the spell and pushes free from the adaro's grasp. Shakaro then draws his greatclub, steps up to the adaro, and bashes it hard. (13 dmg) The adaro looks near death.

Waseem conjures snowball that flies toward the adaro and strikes it,(12 dmg) sending it backward back into the sea, dead.

Jaqu finds his groves and viciously attacks the adaro next to him. His bite and both claws hits, critically injuring the creature. (31 dmg total) The adaro stops moving...

Ship Battlemat

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Round 04
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Selena (26/26) - Inspired, Sickened
Shwarto (26/26) - Inspired,
Stígandrr (38/38) - Inspired, Sickened, +1 Fort (Rnd 3)
Crew (S:0 / M:10 / D:5) - Inspired,
Faruq (0) - Inspired,
---
Baddies
---
Twikli (13/13) - Inspired,
Waseem (33/33) - Inspired, Sickened
Jaqu (30/30) - Inspired,
Shakaro Jun (35/35) - Inspired,

----- Round 4 ----

Selena, Shawarto, Stig, and the crew are up. We are going to stay in combat for now.

Shwarto, you can declare new actions seeing the adaro killed.

Is the red adaro dead? Under enemy summary, he's listed as dead, but on the battle map he doesn't have a marker to show he's dead.

Note: I moved my token as if the red adaro is alive. If it's dead, my token should be below Danner's.

Ooh, sorry he is dead too. Feel free,somone, to drop a marker on it if you are bored.
There do not appear to be any active threats. So meta-game wise, the reason I am keeping you in combat is because there are about to be active threats. :)

Shwarto is going to do what comes naturally.

Hide :-)

He moves under the thingamagig at the back and stealths. Readies to shoot acid at something hostile within 30 ft

stealth: 1d20 + 15 ⇒ (9) + 15 = 24
acro: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (9) + 3 = 12 (remembered this time. Yay me :-))

Attack roll w/ crossbow: 1d20 + 7 - 2 ⇒ (2) + 7 - 2 = 7

Stig points the crossbow towards the remaining enemy and looses a bolt that gets lost in the storm. Gods damn it! Stupid thing doesn't work! Dropping the now empty crossbow he attempts to make his way down to the lower deck but loses his balances and tumbles to the ground.

Acrobatics: 1d20 + 2 - 2 ⇒ (4) + 2 - 2 = 4 Two sub 5 rolls? Really?

Standard - shoot, Move- move down to lower deck, Swift- +1 to Fort, Free- drop crossbow

Selena , continues playing her battle song in case more trouble shows up..
Inspire Courage: +1 attack and damage
Shwarto hides again near the stern and readies an action to cast.
Stígandrr hurls curses as the crossbow bolt misses just as Jaqu finishes the adaro. He hurries down the ladder and his feet slip right out from under him as soon as they hit the lower deck. (prone)
Faruq shouts above the storm, "Captain, I think they're gone."

-----

Enemies:
- Suddenly a shark charges up from the depths and bites at Jaqu. Just as the shark is about to bite Jaqu notices it and dodges out of the way. (AC 11, miss).

The shark is under Jaqu and under the surface of the water. It has total cover from everyone on the boat.

Ship Battlemat

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Round 04
--------------------------------------------------

Selena (26/26) - Inspired, Sickened
Shwarto (26/26) - Inspired,
Stígandrr (38/38) - Inspired, Sickened, +1 Fort (Rnd 3)
Crew (S:0 / M:10 / D:5) - Inspired,
Faruq (0) - Inspired,
---
Baddies
---
Twikli (13/13) - Inspired,
Waseem (33/33) - Inspired, Sickened
Jaqu (30/30) - Inspired,
Shakaro Jun (35/35) - Inspired,

You can tell from the flailing of Jaqu that something is attacking him but have no real idea what it is. It has total cover from everyone on the boat.

Jaqu, Waseem, and Shakaro are up.

"If somebody wants to go into the water and help Jaqu I can let you swim really well. You'll have to come over here for me to cast the spell. Better use a piercing weapon, though :-)"

Shwarto takes out a scroll and readies an action to read it if somebody comes up to him and asks for it

"All right," Shakaro grumbles. He draws a spear and murmurs a few words, while stepping forward. "Do what you're gonna do."

Move 10' forward and draw the spear, standard to cast divine favor. I am still adjacent to Shwarto. I'll just drop the greatclub onto the deck.

I already made a post but apparently the site ate it...

Jaqu will withdraw back to the boat.

If necessary Waseem will dismiss Jaqu and re-summon him on board. If not he will take a standard action to throw up.

Seeing Jaqu start to withdraw, Shwarto will choose to not read the scroll right now. It looks like the shark may be pretty much irrelevant at this point

"Jaqu is withdrawing so there is no need to go in to the water. I'll throw this on you if the shark still remains a threat"

Jaqu retreats from the shark and climbs back into the boat. The shark swims around a bit and the shark seems to take more of an interest in the dead adaro in the water.

The captain keeps the boat chugging along while you and the crew remain on higher alert. You overhear the captain and Faruq discussing how important it is to get through the rough mouth before nightfall. "Faruq, tell Hurg we need more power. We can't stay in the bay much longer and can't get through the mouth in the dark.". With that Faruq heads downstairs to talk to Hurg. You can overhear Hurg toss some curses around but eventually Faruq returns and he is holding 2 javelins. He holds them out to Stig, "Here. Most things on the river don't come close enough for you to punch."
There is also one adaro spear left on the boat.

The waves in the bay grow larger as riverboat continues on in the storm. It is clear that this boat was not made for these conditions. A rogue wave catches the ship sideways every so often, causing many of you to stumble about, and those already sickened are having to stay near their buckets.

Finally, for any looking out towards the bow of the boat, you see what looks like an impossible wall of crashing waves that the captain is headed for. The captain swings the The River Queen out wide and then turns again sharply, bringing the boat behind the initial set of bars. "Tricky thing, getting through this mouth.", Speraggo chimes in, breaking the nervous silence."Not too many captains can handle it well even in the calm water. Cap'n Esteban is one of the best though."

Finally, you make it past about a dozen or so sand bars where the river continually pours out silt into the bay. While the storm doesn't die down, the water is much more calm. Just before dark, the captain brings the River Queen out of the main channel of the wide river and the crew tosses the anchor over. Once he is satisfied that the boat is anchored, Esteban cuts the engines and heads down to the deck.

"Well, that was more than enough adventure for one day I'd say. Faruq tells me you fought well. Damn storms always seem to rile up those adaro, though I've rarely heard of such a coordinated attack on a boat. Lots of ill omens so far on this trip for sure."

The crew inspects the boat and checks that the cargo is still secured well, even commenting on your ability to tie down things well. After a while, you settle down into the cabin and Hurg brings up some fresh fried fish and ale.

No one is sick any longer at this point. Though, you are all wet and tired.

In the aftermath of the battle, Selena checks her bags to ensure her scrolls and paper are not damaged by the water and secures it again. At various points before they set anchor, she'll say something to each of the others:

Shakaro "That was a great throw. And the way you quickly helped Shwarto get away from the adaro, that was really amazing. I thought I heard you yell something. What language was that?"
Shwarto "Very smart of you to use your sneaking skills to land some good hits. I thought I could disappear when I want to, but I'm sure I could learn much from you on technique."
Waseem and Jaqu "You two make a good team. It was very brave of Jaqu to go out in the water with those shark men. And Waseem, you were as sick as me and managed to hit them."
Stig "You ran up to Danner to help him and even threw a spear at the adaro. Both are commendable." She'll add in a lower voice, "I too am much better in close quarters and didn't bring much for ranged combat. But you were able to get around that limitation."

Afterwards, she thoroughly inspects her masterwork pipe, cleaning and maintaining it in spite of not having used it yet. When the captain joins them in the cabin, she replies, "Impressive piloting, Captain. I'm surprised to hear a man of such skill mention omens. Do you believe in such things?"

"Thank you very much Selena. You did very well in the battle too. In fact, I think that we ALL did well. It is a pleasure and honour to serve with all of you."

To Shakaro
"I wanted to thank you for what you did. You quite possibly saved my life. I definitely owe you a debt. I just hope that the rest of the trip is so quiet that I don't get a chance to repay it :-)."

Shakaro will take the remaining Adaro spear if no one else wants it.

Shakaro "That was a great throw. And the way you quickly helped Shwarto get away from the adaro, that was really amazing. I thought I heard you yell something. What language was that?"

Shakaro shrugs. "It is the language of my people. I have never met anyone else that speaks it from outside of my home."

To Shakaro

"I wanted to thank you for what you did. You quite possibly saved my life. I definitely owe you a debt. I just hope that the rest of the trip is so quiet that I don't get a chance to repay it :-)."

Shakaro dismisses it with a wave of his hand.

"When the ship is under attack, we all must fight. We all share the danger if something happens to the ship."

"I'm sad I didn't get his teeth though. They looked like good teeth."

Shakaro tells the captain he is willing to stand watch, and then beds down when he is assigned to do so.

With Selena's comment, Captain Esteban shrugs, "My dear when fates can be in the hands of living gods, one cannot dismiss what may be signs from them. But, as you mention it, I trust in my skill and my ship above most else. Ill omen or not, enough things have already happened to make this more than just a regular trip for us."

With Shakaro's mention of standing watch, the captain nods, "Thank you Shakaro. I suppose we didn't talk about it, but as part of the service in protecting the ship I do expect all crew members to keep watch. Two men each at all times, in fact, one watching over each end of the ship. The great news is that with you five, the shifts won't be too long and troublesome."

After some decent grilled fish and bread, you settle into your hammocks or around the table making small talk. The captain and Faruq mostly stay in the wheelhouse and Hurg stays down below. You have plenty of time to chat and play games of chance or skill with the other crew.

Late into the evening, something large crashes into and grinds against the hull.

---

Esteban and Selena immediately hear the noise. Selena is at the rear-deack, uncovered cargo part of the ship.

(for all not Selena) Perception DC 15 for your character to be immediately woken by the sound.

What do you do?

perception: 1d20 + 11 ⇒ (3) + 11 = 14

Not sure if Twikli is allowed to roll under the circumstances. If he is
perception: 1d20 + 13 ⇒ (8) + 13 = 21

Hopefully, Twikli would wake Shwarto up?

perception: 1d20 + 4 ⇒ (18) + 4 = 22

Before her watch, Selena would most definitely help make the night more enjoyable by providing music with her pipe (and subtly casting lullaby for those who are trying to sleep) while watching any games that take place. She would join a few games but not the majority of them.

Perform(wind): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (19) + 8 = 27
---

Upon hearing the commotion, Selena immediately tries to blend into the shadows to go check it out before waking everyone. I'm not sure if this is the better route... What if there's danger that incapacitates me before I can raise the alarm? But then again, what if it's nothing? It can't be nothing... noise that loud.

Stealth: 1d20 + 9 ⇒ (1) + 9 = 10

... grrr...

That's what I get for second guessing. Realizing she didn't blend very well, Selena whistles as loud as she can in the hopes of waking someone up and runs to the source of the crash.

With Shakaro's mention of standing watch, the captain nods, "Thank you Shakaro. I suppose we didn't talk about it, but as part of the service in protecting the ship I do expect all crew members to keep watch. Two men each at all times, in fact, one watching over each end of the ship. The great news is that with you five, the shifts won't be too long and troublesome."[/ooc]

Shakaro grunts. "Only two? What does everyone else do then? Just lay around?"

In his free time, Shakaro begins working on his Terbutje, using the dragon teeth as a blade.

-----

Later,

Perception: 1d20 + 10 ⇒ (16) + 10 = 26

Shakaro snaps awake. "What? Did we run aground?"

He goes outside to see what is going on. "Are we still moving?"

Shakaro grunts. "Only two? What does everyone else do then? Just lay around?"

Speraggo quips, "Ah well. We are supposed to sleep. You do sleep don't you? If not, that's cool. Means one less watch for the rest of us at night."

The captain was specifically referring to night time watches. During the day you can do just about anything. We will get into that at the start of the next day.

Captain Esteban shouts down, "Selena wake the others and check out the whole deck. It may be just some debris but we need to be sure."

"Faruq, watch the stern wheel."
"Aye Capt'n", Faruq responds sleepily and begins moving down to the deck.

If you are awake, what are you doing?
Shwarto, Twikli can wake you up.

Roll for whistle?
Whistle (Perform Wind): 1d20 + 8 ⇒ (16) + 8 = 24

Selena assumes her loud whistle counts as waking up the others and so goes directly to what she thinks is the source of the noise.

Perception: 1d20 + 3 ⇒ (20) + 3 = 23
What do I see with my Kayal eyes? Haha

After Twikli wakes him up Shwarto sets Twikli to wake up anybody who has manged to sleep through Selena's performance

"Nice whistling there. But you should really learn the musical instrument of my people if you want to get them up. What is their name in common? Oh, right. Bagpipes"

With that, Shwarto sneaks outside, looking for the cause of the noise

You move about on deck to check for any signs of danger. After a few tense minutes of searching the deck and the waters around the boat, you stand down and return to sleep or watch. The captain orders a third person on watch for the rest of this night, but in the end the night passes without further incident.

The storm has died down completely and after your adrenaline fades from being awoken you quickly notice is how hot and humid it is on the river. The insects are out in full force now too, chirping and buzzing away.

I ran out of time before I could finish the post that starts Day 2. I should get it in later today.

Day 2----------------------------

You wake up with the sun pouring in through the shutters. The sheer scale and majesty of the river is a powerful sight for all of you. The lower Vanji (where you are now) travels through the Terva plains. The river is easily a half-mile wide, or more, in most places. Though, various towheads (or eyots - small islets within the river) can give a misleading view from the water level. There are enough shallows, bars, islets, boulders and whatnot to make the river look difficult to navigate in the day and impossible at night.

Even with a few hours of early morning travel, you already see scores of wildlife along the banks. Many large herd animals gather in places where the bank slopes have been trampled down to make a path. Hippos and the occasional crocodile are common sites within the river itself.

Both sides of the river bank are slope steeply in this area of the river, sometimes just a few feet and in other places 20 feet or more. To the north, the great plains of the Terva uplands stretch as far as you can see. To the south, the plains continue for a hundreds of yards near the river but the thick mass of Kaava Lands' jungle butts up against the plains. In some places the jungle seems quite far off but you pass a few locations where the jungle nearly comes up to the river.

River Inspiration Pictures

The Captain sits down with you all around coffee and hard biscuits and lays a map across the table, "I thought you might be interested in this," he says while unfurling a regional map of Mwangi. He points on the Vanji near Bloodcove (Red arrow on linked map), "we are here. Hopefully, in a few days we will be all the way up here at the Aspis' Whitebridge Station. After a short resupply, we'll continue all the way up to Nightfall .... here", he motions as he traces his finger up the Vanji to Nightfall station.

Captain's Map - Region Overview Map with boat location

You may interject any conversation you wish at this point.
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Shortly after breakfast, Faruq has Stig take watch on the foredeck. "Lots of trees and bars after a big storm. Keep a good eye out," the half-orc offers up to Stig as the big man makes his way up to the bow.

Stig:Please make a Perception check.

"Can you tell us anything of the dangers we can expect to meet on the way up to Whitebridge? Are there any local tribes who we'll encounter?"

Shakaro grunts as he watches the herds of animals go by. "Good hunting round here," he remarks.

The Captain sits down with you all around coffee and hard biscuits and lays a map across the table, "I thought you might be interested in this," he says while unfurling a regional map of Mwangi. He points on the Vanji near Bloodcove (Red arrow on linked map), "we are here. Hopefully, in a few days we will be all the way up here at the Aspis' Whitebridge Station. After a short resupply, we'll continue all the way up to Nightfall .... here", he motions as he traces his finger up the Vanji to Nightfall station....

"What's this Nantambu? A town? Are they friendly?"

I assume that I'd know all the following with a 23 (take 10) on geography

"That I can answer. Nantambu is a city here in the Expanse, known for its scholarship and especially for its magical academy. Its a peaceful city, quite wonderful to visit from all accounts. I definitely want to go there at some point"

Selena spends the morning scribbling notes in Aklo for writing a ballad, drawing inspiration from her surroundings. To any who attempt to read over her shoulder, it would look something like this:

በጣም እምቅ ታኮስ እወዳለሁ
በጣም ጥሩ ጣዕም ይሰጣቸዋል, በጣም ብዙ እበላለሁ
የእኔን ቀስት አውጣ ጉሮሮ ይበሉ
ከጥይት የበለጠ ውጤታማ
ለምን እንደዛ ለምን ይህን ማድረጌን መቀጠል እችላለሁ
ውጤቱን ሳውቅ

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He is very knowledgeable about this area... perhaps he isn't even from the Shadow Plane at all, Selena thinks to herself at Shwarto's answer. "Shwarto, you seem to know a lot about this area. From where do you hail?"